Starting Over
by xxPaperHeartsBleedxx
Summary: Keira Micheals is running from her past with her niece Haylee with her. Will it catch up with her, and if so will she come out alive? With the help of Rome and Brian, not to mention the team it might be possible. HIATUS
1. Leaving For Good

Leaving For Good  
  
Driving down the highway, the rain coming down in torrents, and the windshield wipers on high, Keira drove trying to get as far away from Los Angeles as she could. She wanted to forget everything back there. She just wanted to keep going never stopping, but knew that she'd have to; she was going to need her rest. Looking at the cell phone that sat on the passenger seat Keira noticed the battery was running low and she'd put the charger in the trunk of her Skyline. This car was her baby; she'd built it with her older brother. It'd been her graduation present. Glancing into the rearview mirror, she looked at the four year old girl sitting in her booster seat. Her niece meant the world to her. Especially since she was the only family she had left. Her brother and his wife Trish, had died in a car accident a year before, her dad had left when she was still a baby, and her mother while still alive was usually drunk and couldn't careless what happened to either of them. She'd been left custody of Haylee after the accident since Trish had no family and neither wanted the little girl going to her grandmother. Looking at her sleeping form, Keira knew she'd die before she let anything happen to her.  
  
_Floorboard's filled with baby toys,_

_An' empty coke bottles an' coffee cups._

_Drivin' through the rain with no radio,_

_Tryin' not to wake her up._

_ Cell 'phone says "low battery",_

_ God, what if I break down?_

_I'm just lookin' for an exit with a lotta lights,_

_ A safe little interstate town.  
  
Just a cheap hotel,_

_With a single bed, And cable TV:_

_Is good enough for me an' Emily.  
_  
She knew that eventually she was going to have to explain why they'd left like they did to Haylee, and she'd face that when the time came. Flipping through the radio stations, she stopped at a country station as a song came on. Listening to the lyrics she realized just how much she could relate to it. She was in the same situation at that very moment. It might not be her and her daughter, but she'd be damned before she ever let anything happen to that little girl. Keira knew that Haylee thought of him as her uncle, but she couldn't put either one of them through that again. She was too stubborn to go back now, besides she knew by now that if she ever did go back she'd be lucky to not end up in the hospital, he wasn't one to tolerate what she'd just done. Tears welling up in her eyes, she thought of what it'd been like when they'd first gotten together two years ago after he'd gotten out of prison. She hadn't cared that what he did was illegal, as long as he never tried to involve her in it. She didn't care what people thought, the only thing she'd ever done that was against the law was race and experimented a little with drugs. He'd respected her enough to keep her out of his business. They'd been so happy together, despite the fact that he was nearly eight years older than her. He'd been so understanding about all her issues with her mother, and about her continuously running to her brother when they'd had their petty little fights. It made her wonder how he could seem to be such a wonderful guy, and turn out to be such a horrible person. She couldn't see how she'd missed it. It seemed like the most obvious thing now that she looked back in retrospect. 'I guess this is why they say hind sight's twenty, twenty' she thought to herself bitterly. Keira didn't even want to think about what her brother would say if he were still alive.  
  
_Some day, when she's old enough,_

_She's gonna start askin' questions about him._

_Some kid at school brings his Dad for show an' tell,_

_An' gets her little mind a-wonderin':_

_"Where's my Daddy? Do I have one?_

_"Does he not love me like you do?"_

_ Oh, maybe I'll find someone to love the both of us,_

_An' I'll tell her when she's old enough to know the truth.  
  
Will it break her heart?_

_ Will she understand,_

_ That I had to leave?_

_That's what was best for me an' Emily.  
  
_ She could still remember the first time he'd ever hit her. They'd started fighting about him bringing his work around Haylee. After yelling and screaming at one another for nearly an hour he'd gotten sick of it and hauled off and slapped her. She'd stared at him in shock for a few moments before walking calmly into the bedroom off the master bathroom, locking the door, and sinking to the floor crying. Later that night he'd walked into their bedroom finding all the lights off and got into bed. Turning towards her he apologized repeatedly and promised that he'd never do it again. That had been a lie, and every time after he'd hit her and made the same promise had been a lie too. Granted she'd taken worse beating from him since then, but it was that one time that seemed to be most vivid. It was that one time that made her wonder why she hadn't left him then. She'd always promised herself that she'd never tolerate a man hitting her, yet it'd been a year since the first incident. Keira knew she'd never figure out why she'd let him treat her like he had, but she knew that's she'd never let another man do her the same way. If anything this whole experience had taught her it was that it'd be a long time before she'd ever trust anyone she was involved with again. The tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks. 'How could I have been so stupid? How could I have actually believed what he said?' were the questions that filled her mind. Deep down she knew the answer to both questions, it was quite simple if she thought about it long enough. She'd wanted to believe with all her heart that what he said, she wanted to believe that he had really changed no matter what her head was telling her.  
This last time had been her breaking point; she knew that she couldn't take it anymore. He'd come out of his office drunk and walked into Haylee's room demanding that she go into their own room. She'd refused, saying that Haylee had just had another nightmare and she wasn't gonna leave a four year old little girl terrified out of her mind. He'd gotten pissed and that's when Keira had called for Jen, the maid, to stay with Haylee. The last thing she needed was her niece to witness what she knew was about to happen, what everyone in the house knew what was going to happen. Going into their room where she knew he'd be she was confronted by him immediately. Soon the two were yelling back and forth, which was then followed by him shoving her into the wall. She couldn't remember much more than that, just that when she'd woken up the next day on their bed around noon she had a split lip, a bruised jaw, an inch long gash on her forehead, and a black eye. Getting into the shower to wash the dried blood off she noticed the two large bruises on her right side, and the one on her left rib cage. Trying to relax in the shower she realized his temper was starting to get worse, and that he was getting reckless about losing it around Haylee. It was then that she knew she had to get out. If she didn't she knew he'd soon be taking his anger out on her niece and she wouldn't allow that to happen. He could put her through all the hell he wanted but she was hell bent that he wouldn't touch the precious little girl in the backseat of her car. In that same day she'd emptied her bank account, and the account that her brother had left for her to help take care of Haylee and went to 'The Racer's Edge' getting Brian's number from Harry. She'd gotten to know him in the time he'd worked there and when he left he'd told her if she ever needed help to go to Harry and that's he'd know how to get a hold of him.  
  
_That house was never clean enough;_

_ his dinner never warm enough._

_ Nothing I did was ever good enough to make him happy._

_ So, I guess, he gave me what he thought I deserved,_

_But it would kill me if he ever raised his hand to her.  
  
Big rigs are throwin' rain on my windshield,_

_ An' I feel like they're laughin' at me._

_ Fin'lly the storm is lettin' up,_

_An' the mornin' is breakin' free.  
  
It's a brand new day,_

_It's a second chance._

_Yesterday is just a memory, For me an' Emily.  
  
Floorboard is filled with baby toys, _

_An' empty coke bottles an' coffee cups. _

_Least there's one good thing that he gave me,_

_ An' she's startin' to wake up.  
_

Picking up her phone and praying that it still had enough juice left to make this call she dialed the number Harry had given her, and prayed that it would work; she needed help more than she ever had in her entire life. As she held the phone to her ear she gripped the steering wheel tighter, anticipating the answer once it was finally picked up on the other end. Soon she could hear it being turned on and a woman said,  
"Hello?"  
"Umm is this Brian O'Connor's phone?" She asked, completely unsure of herself.  
"Yeah can I ask who this is?"  
"Listen tell him it's a friend from L.A. and can you hurry my phone's almost dead and I really need to talk to him."  
"Sure hang on." And placing her hand over the receiver so she didn't make the poor girl deaf Suki yelled to the back of the garage. "Hey Bri, there's a girl on the phone. Says she's a friend of yours from L.A." Looking at her strangely, he jogged over to her and grabbed his phone.  
"Hey, this is Brian who's this?" he asked wonder how anyone from Los Angeles had gotten his number.  
"Brian, its Keira. You know how you said if I ever needed you to call? Well I need you now."  
"What's wrong Keira?"  
"I'll explain everything when I get there. Where are you?"  
"Miami. I'll give you directions on how to get where I am." Soon he had rattled off the interstate exit and precise directions on how to get to Tej's garage. Telling him that she'd see him the next day because she was going to stop a motel for the night, they hung up. Feeling a little bit safer now that she knew she had somewhere to go, Keira slept that night not interrupted by one nightmare. Meanwhile Brian was having a hard time sleeping wondering what could have the pretty and fearless red head he'd gotten to know while working at Harry's to sound so worried.  
The next day as Tej, Rome, Jimmy and Suki worked in the garage with Brian they all noticed that he seemed a little bit preoccupied. None of them knew why, but they knew that for him to be that far off in space something must have happened, and all of them were willing to bet it had everything to do with the phone call he'd gotten the day before. Around five o'clock they all noticed the black Skyline coming closer to them. On the hood there was a design of two cherries wit the stems and a leaf, flames that started as blue and steadily turned orange starting at the bottom and flowing across the rest of the hood. On either side the car had more of the same flames running up and down the body. As it pulled into the parking lot they could make out the word 'Sizzles' monogrammed under the driver's side door in a bright red, loopy writing. The windows were tinted so dark that they couldn't see inside the car but, Brian didn't need anyone to tell him who it was. As the girl got out of her car, she flipped her mid length red hair over her shoulder and walked around the car helping the little girl out of the car. As they all studied her they noticed her hair was cut in shaggy layers with honey blonde streaks running through it. She had on a black tank top, blue denim capris, and black platform flip flops with pyramid studs running across the straps. She was wearing dark sunglasses that hid her bright emerald green eyes. The little girl who's hand she was hanging onto had light sandy brown hair pulled back into a French braid and the same color eyes as her aunt. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a light pink shirt that said 'Surf's Up' in white lettering. She was wearing white tennis shoes to match. While the two moved closer to the Brian noticed that she had a split lip and that under her eye and at the base of her jaw there were two bruises slowly fading. As he made these observation the anger rose inside of him, wanting to beat the hell out of whoever had done this to her.  
"Hey Keira. What brings you here to Miami?" He said trying to keep thing light hearted for the moment.  
"That's something I need to tell you inside, you remember Josh's daughter Haylee, right?" She asked knowing full well that he was trying to lighten things up, but also knowing that he had saw the bruises and split lip and wanted to know how she got them.  
"Yeah I remember her, but the last time I saw her she wasn't even a year old. She's grown a bit. But yeah now I'll introduce you to my crew." Then pointing down the line he started naming them off, "This is Tej, Suki, Rome and that's Jimmy."  
"It's nice to meet you all." Keira said with a smile, "Now I'm guessing you wanna talk about what the hell happened to my face."  
"No I know what happened, I wanna know who the hell did it to you so I can beat the living hell outta them."  
"Calm down Brian, I'm fine. Let's just chill for now and talk. You forget that in the last week I've only had adult conversation with waitresses and gas station attendants besides that short conversation with you."  
"Alright but we're gonna talk about this first thing in the morning."  
"Fine we'll talk in the morning." The rest of the day was spent with them all getting to know Keira and vice versa and working on cars a little bit. By the time they left they we're all laid back and hanging out at the house they all shared together. Sinking down onto the large, overstuffed couch, Keira couldn't help feeling more free than she had in a very long time.  
  
**A/N: Okay ya'll so I started a new ficcie. What do you think so far... I know it's only the first chappy but I wanna know. What can I say... I'm impatient. If I don't get any positive feedback I'ma take it down and maybe work on it some more then try and post it again. This was basically just an idea that hit me on the ride home from the movies when that song, which is called 'Me and Emily' by Rachel Proctor and in italics, came on the country station my mom listens to. I luv ya all. Oh and Read and Review... I'ma a review junkie what can I say??  
  
Jess **


	2. Taking Control Again

Taking Control Again  
  
_It was a stormy night and rain was coming down in torrents from the sky. Keira had always hated storms, ever since she could remember. There was just something about them that freaked her out. She could remember being a little girl and running into Josh's room when she was woken up by the cracks of thunder and lightning. She was all alone in the house with Haylee, Brian and the others had gone out clubbing since the rain had ruined their plans to race. The only light coming in the house was coming from the television, which Keira was sitting across from watching the old episode of 'Friends' flashing on the screen. Just as she was starting to relax a little when the clap of thunder and the shocking flash of lightning caused her to jump and look out the window. As she did the sight that met her eyes terrified her.  
He was here. She'd only gotten a glimpse of his face in the brief time that the sky had been lit up, but it was enough for her to know it was him without the slightest doubt in her mind. Jumping up she ran to the front door, not knowing if Tej had locked it on his way out earlier. She soon had her answer as she saw the handle turn. Without hesitation she threw all her weight against the door and pulled the chain lock tight. Then ran up the stairs and into the room that she was sharing with Haylee for the time being, and shut the door locking it. Hurrying to the twin bed that her niece was asleep on, she knelt down and began shaking her gently. The sound of the front door slam open, the shaking became a little rougher and her voice panicked as Keira said quietly,  
"Haylee sweetie, wake up! C'mon doll we've gotta get out of here!" Slowly the little girl's eyes fluttered open, and stared at her aunt sleepily. Keira couldn't help feeling awful, but knew that she needed to do it to keep the both of them safe. Hearing his voice calling her name, getting louder as her came closer to them, she scooped Haylee into her arms, her eyes searched for a way out of the house. Her eyes instantly stopped on the window. Going over and looking out through the glass, she saw that he hadn't come alone. Two of his boys were standing in front of the house. It was then that she remembered the roof of the porch was right under her bedroom window, and there was a trellis connected to the back of the house. If she could get the two of them to the other side of the house they'd be able to get away. The sound of the wooden door cracking ripped her from her thoughts and she pushed the window open as fast as she could without making a noise. Climbing onto the roof the rain had soon soaked the two. Going to one of the triangular points sticking up from the roof she say Haylee on it and looking the little girl in directly in the eyes said,  
"Haylee you've gotta promise to sit still. Whatever you do don't move, okay?"  
"Kay Aunt Kiki." She answered wondering what was going on. As soon as she'd gotten her answer, Keira had begun to crawl up to where her niece was sitting, but lost her footing on the slick paneling of the house. The sound of wood splintering and the door busting open caused her to panic and quickly start climbing back up, ignoring the cut on the palm of her hand. She was almost there when she felt two hands plant themselves firmly on her hips and yank her down roughly. Turning around she looked up into his anger filled eyes. The next thing she knew he'd raised his arm and backhanded her across the face, making her head snap to the side. Wiping away the blood that had gathered in the corner of her mouth from the force of the hit, she looked back towards him strength and determination shining in her eyes. 'This is ending tonight.' She thought to herself, 'It should have stopped a long time ago but I can't change the past.'. Standing up to her full of five feet six inches, she pulled her arm back and landed one good punch to his jaw. She went to hit him again but this time he was ready for her and grabbed her arm twisting it behind her back and pulling her close to him. Leaning down he whispered into her ear,  
"You know it that spunk that first attracted me to you, now unfortunately it's what's pulling you in deeper. Now all this foolishness can be stopped now if you pack your shit and come back home and settle this." His tone calm and controlled. She knew what he meant when he said they'd settle it, it meant that he'd beat the hell out of her and then come apologize like he did every other time. Wrenching her arm from his grasp she turned around and looked him straight in the eye and said,  
"Fuck you! There's no way in hell I'm going back. Do you really think I'm that stupid? You think I'll go with you just to go back to being your punching bag again? Think again. I refuse to take the chance of you doing that to Haylee."  
"I guess that's too bad then. Do you really think I'm going to leave you around for some other guy to take?" He asked taking a step toward her, and causing Keira to take a step backwards. He had a wild look in about him and it was starting to scare her, she'd never seen him like this, he looked crazy, like he'd attempt anything. As he continued to walk forward, she kept walking backwards, until she came to the edge of the roof. She felt trapped. Soon he was standing a mere few inches in front of her. Grabbing her wrists, he looked down on her in a condescending manner, 'That's the problem with him' Keira thought to herself ruefully, 'Always thought her was better than everyone and everything around him.' Smirking he said,  
"Are you sure you don't want to reconsider that offer I put out for you?"  
"I wouldn't go back with you if you tried dragging me back, kicking and screaming." She answered squaring her shoulders and holding her head high.  
"Fine have it your way. I gave you your chance." And he pushed her back releasing her wrists. As she fell, screaming Haylee's name at the top of her lungs, she watched as he re-entered the house through the window leaving her niece sitting on the roof, soaked, tired, crying, and looking terrified. As her body connected with the hard concrete of the driveway, blood seeping from her head, her last conscious thought was, 'I've failed her. I've failed Haylee, Josh, and Trish.' Before she slipped away into the darkness._

Jolting up in bed Keira started to gasp for air. Looking across the room she saw that Haylee was still sleeping peacefully. Trembling she brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the nightmare she'd had. It had seemed so real to her, like it was actually happening. Tears streaming down her face now she thought 'How can he still get to me when I'm so far away from him?'. Glancing at the clock that sat on the night stand to the right of her, she could see the blurry red numbers that read six thirty. Knowing she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep, she decided to go downstairs. Getting up out of bed, she hitched the blue plaid flannel pajama pants she was wearing up on her hips and walked down to the kitchen. Going through the cabinets she soon had a pot of coffee making. As soon as it was done she poured herself a cup and sat down at the table. Sitting there sipping the hot liquid she was soon caught up in her thoughts. She was thinking about the choices she'd made in the last two years. Half of them had been the worst thing she could have done, but she could honestly say that she'd thought that they'd been right at the time. She also knew that even though she hadn't deserved what she'd gotten from him, it was going to make her a stronger person when it was all said and done. Wiping away the few remaining tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks, she leaned her chair back on two legs and looked out the large window in the kitchen. Not paying attention to her surroundings, or the time she was jerked from her thoughts when a voice sounded behind her.  
"Damn you're up early. The Keira I knew liked to get as much sleep as she could." Moving her feet from the legs of the table in shock, she soon felt the warm coffee she had in the splash out onto her shirt. Standing up she looked behind her and said,  
"You're so lucky that wasn't hot! And seriously why'd you have to come sneaking up on me like that, Brian? I'm jumpy enough as it is."

"Sorry, I'm just not used to anyone else being up this early." He said grinning at her. He was trying not to laugh at the way she was holding the chest of her shirt out in front of her. "What are you doing up anyway? No offence but you looked like shit when you got here yesterday, and you're not looking too much better."

"Well what do you expect? I've probably had a grand total of twenty- four hours of sleep in the last week if that." She said, this wasn't the moment to be commenting on how she looked. Looking at him again, still holding the front of her shirt, she noticed the wife beater he was wearing. "Now seeing as you made me spill coffee on myself, give me your shirt, cuz I ain't wearing this one."  
"Fine, take it. I didn't want to wear it anyway." He said as he pulled it over his head. As he handed it over to her he noticed her going to take her shirt off. "You know there's a bathroom right down the hall."  
"Chill Brian, I got a sports bra on under this. God did you really think I'd strip right here in the middle of the kitchen where anyone could walk in and see me?"  
"You never know with you." He said remembering the time he'd gone out with Her, Trish, and Josh. The girls had gone to the bathroom, only to return wearing the outfit the other had been wearing not ten minutes before. When the guys had asked, why they had switched clothes, Keira had looked at them and said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, 'Cuz we wanted to, and besides, we liked each other's outfits better.' That had been in the brief time period they'd tried dating, before he'd met Mia or Dom.  
"Bite me. That was one time, Bri." She said knowing what he was thinking. She then pulled her shirt off all the way, and grabbed the one he was holding out for her. Within seconds she had the dry shirt on, but not before Brian had gotten the chance to see the bruises on her side and ribs. The smile that he'd had playing at the corners of his mouth quickly turned into a frown.  
"You want to tell me how you got all these bruise and cuts, Keira?"  
"Not really. But if I know you, and I'm pretty damn sure that I do, I'm guessing I don't really have a choice in the matter." She said as she thought, 'Damn it. I should have changed in the bathroom.'  
"Well you got that part right, you don't have a choice. I let you slide yesterday with not telling me, but we agreed on now." He said, and looked at her face noticing that her eyes were a little puffy, probably from crying.  
"Actually Bri, we never really agreed on a time if you wanna get technical. But I know you're not looking to get technical." She added quickly seeing that he wasn't in the mood for jokes, or skating around the truth.  
"Sit down, and talk. You show up here, roughed up and looking like someone beat the hell out of you, now I want to know what's going on."  
"Fine, I'll tell you exactly why I'm here." Keira said, heaving out a sigh and plopping back down into the chair she'd been sitting in. Waiting for him to sit down, she stated it as simply and quickly as she could, "I'm here because I finally got sick of having my boyfriend beat the shit out of me, and had no place to go. You told me if I ever needed you to get the number from Harry, so I did, and here I am."  
"Who was this boyfriend of yours?" Brian asked his suspicions from yesterday being confirmed. He might not be dating her anymore, but they were good friends. He still cared about her and didn't want anything to happen to her.  
"That's not important, Brian. What is, is that I got away, and it's gotta stay that way. Bri, if he finds me I'm as good as dead, and no one's going to be able to do anything about it." She said not wanting to tell him who it was. She didn't want to take the chance of him recognizing the name, or admit that she'd actually gotten involved with him in the first place.  
"Fine you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. But Keira, it's going to make me helping you that much easier if I know who I'm dealing with."  
"I'll tell you this much Brian, he's power. Hell he's probably a good definition of power, he can find out anything."  
"Keira what'd you get yourself into?" Brian asked, sounding a little frustrated.  
"Brian, I'll make you a deal alright? You don't push me and I'll tell you exactly who he is when I feel ready."  
"Fine, but Keira I'ma tell you this now. You need to be ready soon. You don't know how much time you have before he finds you and I can protect you and Haylee, better when I know who and what I'm up against."  
"Alright Brian, I promise I'll try to tell you soon, but can we drop this for now? It sounds like people are starting to wake up."  
"Yeah we'll drop it, but don't think this is the end of this discussion, because it's far from being over."  
"God don't do that! You sound like Josh!" She said, for the first time since his death, the thoughts of her brother not bringing tears to her eyes.  
"Where is he anyway? I mean I was wondering why you had Haylee with you and all but didn't really stop to think about it til now." Brian asked, knowing that if her older brother knew about this, whoever had been doing this to her, wouldn't live to see another day.  
"He died about a year ago." Keira answered the smile now gone from her face. "Him and Trish were at the races about a year ago and some kid, who was driving home drunk from a party, hit them head on while they were on their way back to their house. Ironic how the innocent ones always die in something like that, isn't it?"  
"God Keeks, you know I'd have been there if I'd have known right?" He asked using the nickname that he'd called her by since they'd started hanging out.  
"I know Bri, and hell I thought Harry had called you, and didn't find out til way to late that he hadn't. That's okay though, because he got an ear full from me." She said and hugged him. "Now I'ma head on up to take a shower, If Haylee wakes up, give her some cereal or something to eat." And with that she walked back up the stairs, dirty shirt in hand, and went into the bathroom. Half a hour later she walked out of the bathroom a cloud of steam following her. She had on a pair of low rise jeans, and a black wife beater that said 'Bitch' across the chest in silver old English text. She had decided to leave her hair down to dry naturally, leaving it to flow in soft wave to the bottom of her shoulder blades. Stopping her room quickly to drop off her dirty clothes and check on her niece, she saw that the little girl must have gotten up sometime while she was in the bathroom. Walking down the stairs she heard the sound of cartoons, and walked into the living room. There she was greeted with the sight of Suki and Haylee curled up on the couch watching TV and munching on pop tarts. Letting out a small laugh she walked around the couch and sat down next to the two.  
"You two having fun?" She asked. Looking over at her aunt, Haylee responded happily,  
"Uh huh, guess what Aunt Kiki!"  
"What baby doll?"  
"Her favorite cartoon is SpongeBob too!" Haylee said as she pointed to Suki. This caused both of the women to laugh.  
"Really? That's great babe. Now I don't have to be tortured with the cartoon sponge." This got her two tongues stuck out at her at the same time. "Okay so yeah, I can see I'm not welcome in this room when this cartoon is on from now on. I'll talk to you two later, and Haylee, don't get any of that on the furniture."  
"Kay Aunt Kiki." Haylee answered, never taking her eyes from the television screen. Walking into the kitchen she was greeted by the sight of everyone else, except for Jimmy, who she'd heard snoring as she walked down the hall to her room. The minute she'd walked into the kitchen, Brian had poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her. Saying 'Thank you' she sat down table. Rome decided to say something to Brian about what he just done.  
"Damn Bra, this girl's got you whipped already. She must work quick." As soon as he'd said it he'd gotten slapped upside the head by none other than Keira herself. Before anyone had a chance to say anything she told him,  
"Nah, he owed this to me. He made me wear over half the cup I had earlier. Besides, we've been there, done that, who knows maybe we'll go back for a second ride." This made Brian and Tej both laugh. Looking over at their friend, who still looked like he wasn't quite sure she'd actually said that, Tej said,  
"Looks like homegirl over here told how it was. She's already got you figured dawg, and ain't gonna have no trouble schoolin' you when you need it."  
"Ah that's alright; I still got Monica to rip on when she shows her face round here. That'll never get old. Miss Latin Barbie couldn't out diss me if she used all three of her damn brain cells to try." Rome answered, making Tej laugh again, and Brian smile while rolling his eyes, while Keira sat there looking a little confused. Seeing that she looked a little more than lost, Rome decided to explain,  
"She's this bitch who's been after Brian for the last few years. Won't get it through her head that my boy ain't interested. Can't wait til you meet her though, now that'll be funny as hell to watch."  
"If she's as bad as you say she is, then you're right it's gonna be funny as hell to watch me bitch the girl out." Keira answered. She wasn't about to let some chick try and come between her and Brian's friendship, and she had a feeling that's what this girl would try to do.  
Since the garage was closed that day, the group spent the rest of the day talking. Suki and Keira had been fast friends, being about the same age and the only two females in the house besides Haylee. The two weeks passed in much the same way, and Keira had begun working at the garage, with everyone else. She'd even started playing the weekly poker games, unluckily for everyone else, she'd spent six years of her life living in Vegas, and was could still play as well as she had back then. This caused her to pretty much clean up at the games, and when she didn't play a hand she helped Suki or Jimmy. All of the people in the house had grown close to both Haylee and Keira, and not one of them had, had to think twice about agreeing to help Brian keep them safe from her ex when he'd asked. It was late after a night of poker, when Keira finally was able to drag herself into bed. As soon as she'd changed she looked into the mirror. The bruises on her face were now gone, and the cuts had healed. She looked almost the same as she had when she first met Brian, but now she could see that her eyes held a determined look in them. She wasn't going back to the life she had just escaped from. Lying down in bed, the last thought that crossed her mind before she fell asleep was, 'I'll die before take Haylee back into that situation, or put myself in that place again.'  
  
**A/N: Okay so there's the second chapter. How'd ya'll like it?? I gotta ask this question... are you starting to wonder who the 'mystery man' is?? Only one maybe two ppl know who he is other than me and that's cuz I was dying to tell someone and she was the person I was talking to at the moment. Plus I know she'll keep reading even when she does know. I promise you guys that you'll find out in the next chappy but before you do I was wondering if you'd take a guess in you're review... I wanna see if any of you get it right. I don't care if you've already guessed while we were chatting... guess again... well except for Cheer cuz she knows and that'd be cheating. Alright now I'm gonna address the reviews I've gotten... all of them were good but I got one that bothered not only me but other reviewers. And that review was from Kickurass. Now I know when you said that you thought that Brian was being too protective you meant it as constructive criticism but I along with at least 5 of my readers, all of which I talk to on a normal basis or reviewed after seeing your own, didn't take it that way. I even asked them what they thought cuz I was worried that I was just being the drama queen I'm known to be at times. We all felt that the comment was off base seeing as it was only the first chapter and I hadn't really given any history on the kind of relationship Keira and Brian had, when they were both in L.A. And as you can probably tell from this chapter they were pretty close. We also thought that even if they weren't that close, he still would have acted the same, because I know that if I was ever in that situation doesn't matter how close we are or not my guy friends would act the same way. I'm sorry if you take offence to this but I just had to say my peace, cuz it's been bugging me since I got your review. Tiff, thanks so much for the review I really appreciate you backing my fic up. It means tons to me for reals. Cheer, thanx for being there for me... don't know what I'd do with out you sometimes. Your reviews always put me in a good mood after I read them, and always make me feel that much better bout my writing when I'm not sure the chapter was all that great. Anna may, I luved your review... it was short but it said tons... thanx!! Sunshine, thanx so much for reading... now I just gotta make time to get to reading yours... which I will do... hmm maybe that's what I'll do when I'm up til 4 in the mornin'. Ranger webb, I'm glad you like it but I can tell you now that it isn't Dom, I just don't see him hitting a woman and could never write him like that... plus I could never put Vin into a character like that he's too hott. My long lost twin, it might have taken us a while to start chatting but it feels like I've known ya forever, hell I kinda have we're like exactly the same!! Glad you like Keira's name... I got it from Cheer... if ever in need of a name just ask Cheer!! For reals the girl just spits them out like its nuthin. And yeah I'm so proud of ya... you didn't log in. Lol. Desert-grl, glad you like it. Angelrose, thanx for the support, and I've missed ya on Returning Home... I ain't got a review on it from you in a while! Cc, thanx girl, I promise I'll get more into Keira's past eventually... gotta let it all play out. Ringles, I'm glad you like the fic so much. And believe me I don't plan on taking it down... especially not when I got 12 reviews on the first chappy. Bbysail, glad you finally get to go home soon... that must have been torture for you. And thanx for addressing the 'over protective' issue. Like I told Tiff I really and truly appreciate it!! Kay well I'ma end this A/N here... cuz yeah it's monstrously huge!! And I'm thinkin' ya'll are getting sick of reading it. Later ya'll and don't forget to Review. This junkie needs her fix. Lol. BYE!!  
  
Jess**


	3. Peace Doesn't Last Forever

Peace Doesn't Last Forever  
  
Since they'd moved in with Brian and everyone else Keira and Haylee had fallen into a regular routine on race nights. The two of them would go out to dinner, then depending on their mood would either catch a movie at the theater or rent a few and stay home, hanging out on the couch together eating popcorn. They'd done this since about the second week when Keira decided that they needed to do something other than sit in the house and work all day. Little did she know this was about to change. Brian had told the rest of the crew about her racing on the tracks back in California, Rome had even remembered hearing something about her when he mentioned it. She was starting to make a name for herself, especially since she was a woman. Most of the guys underestimated thinking she was just some wannabe racer who shouldn't be near a car, they didn't know how wrong they were. They all decided that it was time for her to stop staying at home; she'd been cooped up in the house for too long and was getting stir crazy, they could all see it. That's why this Friday night Suki was staying at the house with Haylee while the boys and Keira went to the races. Keira of course didn't know any of this.  
Walking into the house behind Rome and Suki, she dropped her keys on the table and walked towards the living room. Walking around the side of the couch she stopped in front of it and collapsed, letting her head hit the soft cushions. She was tired and had worked hard that day, all she wanted was to be able to relax and not think about things for a while. Closing her eyes she began to let the sleep take over her, 'Hey I need a nap.' she thought to herself. Hearing someone walk into the room and clear their throat, she cracked one eye open and looked in the direction that the noise came from.  
"What do you think you're doing?" Suki asked with an eyebrow raised, as she looked down on her friend.  
"Umm... sleeping you know that thing you do when you're tired. I worked hard today and I want to relax." Keira said looking confused. She was doing the same thing that she did everyday after coming in from work. She didn't know why Suki woulda say anything about it, she was usually right there with her on the loveseat, except for Fridays when she went and got ready for the races.  
"Sorry chica, you gotta drag your ass up those steps and get ready."  
"Ready for what? Me and Haylee are callin' in a pizza and watching movies here instead of going to the theater. She doesn't want to see anything that came out this weekend." "Nope, sorry sweets, that's what me and my Mini-Me are going to do." Suki said using the nickname she'd given to the little girl after about a week of knowing her. She reminded her of herself at that age and she found that amusing. It wasn't everyday you met a four year old girl who was more interested in cars than she was in Barbie dolls. "You're going to the races with the guys tonight."  
"What?!?" Keira half yelled her eyes wide. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "You're kidding me right?"  
"No girly, we ain't. We all know you'd be hellified pissed if we played you like that. And from what Bullit tells us you're kinda scary when you're mad."  
"What the fuck am I supposed to wear? I didn't bring any of the clothes I go out in with me when we left."  
"Don't worry about it, I got you covered. C'mon I'll see what I can find for ya to wear tonight." And grabbing her hand, Suki literally yanked her off of the couch and began dragging her up the stairs. The men in the house had been watching them from through the kitchen door along with Haylee. Looking at each other they shook their heads as Tej looked back towards the stairs and said,  
"Poor girl, she doesn't realize what she just got herself into."  
"Hell nah Bra, she don't realize that she just released a monster on all of us." Rome said eating a few French fries out of the bag from McDonald's, which he'd gotten on his way home. Seeing Haylee look up at him with her green eyes watery, and looking like those of a puppy's, he pulled the out the chocolate shake he'd gotten her and handed it to her.  
"Thank you!" Haylee said with a grin and then began to try and sip it through the straw.  
"No problem Hayls. Besides you know I like spoiling ya... it drives your Aunt Keira crazy."  
"You know if she heard you say that she'd kick your ass don't you?" Brian asked his friend as all three watched the little girl walk through the sliding glass door and sit on the patio, sipping on her shake still, finally getting it to come through the straw.  
"Nah she wouldn't kick my ass. I'd be in my car and heading down the road before she got the chance." Rome said smiling.  
"So Ro' you got any food in there for us man? Or you just think bout yourself as always." Tej asked, eying the bag hungrily, and making Roman grab it protectively before saying,  
"No I wasn't think bout just myself, I bought Haylee something didn't I? But to answer you question, hell no I didn't by ya'll food, you can buy it yo' damn self." And with that he took a large bite out of the Big Mac he'd just taken from its box. As Brian shook his head and Tej rolled his eyes, Suki was shoving Keira into the bathroom to take a shower, and then walked into her room and began to tear her closet apart. She was going to find the perfect outfit for her friend, and she didn't care how much Keira protested she was going to wear it. Taking hangers of the rail she started tossing clothes onto the bed and floor, she knew that when she saw it she'd know it.  
In the bathroom Keira turned the water on and got it to the temperature she wanted, before she slowly began to peel the dirty, sweaty clothes from her body. Stepping under the stream of water coming from the shower head, she let her muscles relax, and began to think. She'd been keeping a low profile since she arrived in Miami. She knew that he had men all over the country and could easily find her if she wasn't careful, and that was the last thing she needed at this moment. To keep him from finding her she'd taken to driving Tej's black Escalade. Her Skyline was just too noticeable, especially with the paint job she had. It wasn't everyday you saw a Skyline, let alone one with flaming cherries on the hood. She'd been storing it in Tej's garage until she and Suki came up with a new design for it. Though she'd been more relaxed lately than she had when she first showed up, she still had that lingering fear that he'd find her and Haylee. Keira was much happier than she had been in a long time here with people she knew cared about her, even if they hadn't known her all that long, and that she cared about. Rome and Tej had become two big brothers in her eyes, and Jimmy was the younger sibling she'd always wanted when she was little but never had. Suki was a whole different story. It was like the two had been separated at birth, they acted so similar to each other. The two of them had gotten closer in the short time they'd known each other, than Keira had ever been with any other female other than Trish, including her mother. It was strange for either one to have gotten to know another woman so easily and willingly. As she finished washing the dirt and grime that her body had acquired in the hot Miami sun, she caught a glimpse of her now bruise free torso. They'd faded away completely about a week ago, including the sickening yellowish color most turned after some time. Turning off the water, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself before walking out the door and down the hall a short distance to Suki's room. Opening the door she went in, and turned to shut the door. As she did this she missed the evil grin that formed for a brief time on her friend's lips.  
"Keira I found your outfit doll." She said holding it up for her to see.  
"No... Nuh uh... not happening. There's just no way in hell I'm wearing that!" Keira exclaimed, eyes wide and shaking her head violently as she backed away towards the door. Knowing what she was going to do, Suki quickly ran to the door and blocked the only way out. Leaning against the door and looking smug, she said with confidence evident in her voice,  
"Oh yes you are. So let's walk to you're room so you can get a bra and underwear and then we can get started." And opening the door she pulled Keira along rather unwillingly and pushed her into her room to get the things she needed. Soon she had them, and they we're back in Suki's room. Closing the door she looked over to where the redhead was standing and pouting slightly, and said, "Now we can get started."  
  
"C'mon Keira! We're gonna be late if you don't get your ass moving!" Brian yelled up the stairs. He had grown used to being impatient on race night; it was something he'd picked up from being around Dom. As he, Rome, and Tej stood at the bottom of the stairs, he looked to each of his friends and either shook his head or rolled his blue eyes. Hearing someone walking down the hall they all looked up hoping to see Keira, all we're slightly disappointed when they saw it was Suki.  
"Jesus Brian, pull the stick outta your ass, she'll be down in a second." She said and began walking down the stairs. When she was about halfway down she yelled, "Kay girl come on down." Soon the all heard Keira's voice float down the hall,  
"I'm not coming out. I look horrible. I don't care what you told me my legs look fat." Hearing this you could hear a sigh be emitted from all three men, while a frustrated noise made its way out from deep in Suki's throat.  
"I swear to God Keira, if you don't start walking down that hall right now, I'll drag your ass out here. You know it's a losing battle in the shoes you're wearing. And if I can't do it I'm sure one of the guys will be only too happy to do it for me. Now get down here dammit!" She yelled back. Soon you could hear a groan and the sounds of someone saying 'fine' while sounding like it really wasn't.  
"I'm here now, happy?" Asked the disgruntled looking woman at the top of the stairs. Soon all eyes had turned to look at what she was complaining about. Three pairs of eyes widened at the sight of her. She was dressed in a black leather tube top that stopped about an inch above her bellybutton and laced in the back showing some skin, a black leather mini skirt that came down about four inches past her butt. Her shoes were black four inch strappy heels that crisscrossed over the top of her foot and buckled around her ankle. Her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail with small wisps of hair left out that fell around her face. Her makeup was minimal, with black eyeliner and mascara, an iridescent skin toned eye shadow, and a shiny mocha flavored lip gloss that gave her lips a small hint of color. Looking her up and down Rome let out a low whistle, while Tej said,  
"Damn girl, where the hell you been hiding that body?"  
"I don't look fat?" she asked still feeling a little insecure about herself, it had been a long time when she'd actually been bruise free enough to wear something like this out.  
"Maybe P-H-A-T, but most def not the fat you're thinkin'." Tej Assured her. He found it hard to believe that she didn't already know that she looked good. Brian who until this point had just stood there staring at her cleared his throat and said,  
"So we're ready to go now right?"  
"Yeah we're ready to go Bri. Just lemme grab a coat and we can leave." Keira answered, knowing he was itching to leave and not wanting to keep him waiting anymore. She could tell he was getting antsy and seeing Brian when he started getting wired wasn't a good thing.  
"Here take mine." Suki said pulling black racing jacket with the word 'Sexy' embroidered on the back in red leather from the closet.  
"Thanks girly, let's go guys. Bri's bout ready to have a heart attack over here." This comment made Rome laugh and mutter to Tej, so neither her or Brian could hear,  
"I think she's the one who's gonna give our boy that heart attack. Did see the way his eyes popped when he saw her?"  
"Yeah Bra I saw. Don't think our girl saw it though." Tej answered as they all walked out the door. As they got to the driveway Keira looked at the cars.  
"Alright who am I riding with?"  
"Whoever you want to ride with. It don't matter to us." Tej said told her, not really caring who he rode with to get to the races.  
"Hell I'm lazy; since I'm already on the passenger side over here I'll ride with Bri." She said walking to what would have been the driver's side on any other car.  
"Aight, we'll see ya'll there then." Rome said and got into his car. Soon the two cars were weaving in and out of traffic, trying to get to the spot where they'd be racing as soon as they could. Sitting next to Brian as he shifted gears, Keira leaned back in her seat and let the feel of the car take over her. Sure Tej's Escalade was nice and all, but she missed that slight jerk whenever you went to change gears. That had to be one of the most enjoyable sensations for her, just knowing the power that was under the hood of a car. It still amazed her how something could contain that much force behind it, yet be in such a compact area. It was something she knew she'd never truly understand it, but she didn't care, all that mattered to her was the rush she got being behind the wheel of a car.  
As she sat there contemplating all of this, Brian was watching her. He couldn't believe that she looked as amazing as she did. Granted he knew she was beautiful already, he just hadn't seen her dressed like she was in so long it had shocked him a little bit. He was glad Suki had forced her into the outfit se was wearing. He didn't know where all these thoughts were coming from, and as he drove keeping an eye on the road stretched out in front of him and watched her out of the corner of his eye, he reminded himself, 'That ship has sailed already, and we both agreed that dating just wasn't for us.' Before he realized it they were at the races and Rome and Tej were pulling up next to them. He and Keira stepped out of the Skyline at almost the same time their two friends stepped out of the Spyder. Soon all three men we're surrounded by chasers and this made Keira sigh, she'd only been to the street races in L.A. once or twice, but each time she had she'd seen the same thing. The chasers always around the guys with cars and if he lost then they hopped over to the winner, it was stupid in her opinion and she couldn't help but think of them all as whores. You had to be if you would so willingly drop one guy and go to another just because he lost a race. It was pathetic. Walking around the front of the car, and towards them, and stood next to Brian. She continued to stand there, looking around her and scoping her surroundings, completely bored. She was being ignored and that was one thing she hated. That changed quickly though, when she was tapped on the shoulder. Turning around she came face to face with a guy wearing a white puma sweat outfit with orange stripes running down the legs of the pants and the sleeves of the jacket. Since the zipper was unzipped she could see the orange wife beater he was wearing that matched the orange beanie on his head. She noted that he looked Puerto Rican, but that was only a guess. For all she knew he could be Cuban or Mexican. Looking him up and down in a way which it was completely obvious what she was doing she met his eyes and said,  
"Can I help you with something?" in a tone which didn't make her sound like a total bitch, but made it clear she wasn't just some dumb race skank.  
"Yeah I think you can beautiful. How bout giving me your name?" He said and licked his lips. It took all that she had for her to not roll her eyes at the corny line, but she decided to play along.  
"Sorry, I can't cuz I don't know yours and my mom drilled that whole 'Don't talk to strangers' bit in a little too well when I was younger."  
"Alright I get ya. The name's Orange Julius, well at least on the streets."  
"I'm Keira, and I'm gonna take a guess and say that it's nice to meet you." Looking over her shoulder to see where the guys were, she noticed they'd moved of further while she'd been standing there. She was starting to get uncomfortable standing there with this guy, she could feel him mentally undressing her and it was a gross feeling. Turning to look back at Orange Julius, she decided to try and get him to stop looking at her chest and at least look her in the face. "So how'd you get into the racing scene?"  
"Some friends introduced me to it, and that's bout it. I was hooked after that. What about you? I ain't ever seen you here before."  
"Yeah I'm new in town, but even back home I never was into street racing. I was more into the tracks. But I came here with friends tonight."  
"And who would those friends be?" Before she even got the chance to answer she could hear Rome's voice yelling over the noise of the crowd to her.  
"Keira get yo' ass over here girl. We were wonderin' where the hell you were."  
"Well I'm guessin' that answers your question. Gotta go now though so bye!" and with that she hurried over to where Rome and the other guys were standing. As she got up next to Rome he draped his arm over her shoulders and said,  
"Looked like you needed a little rescuing."  
"Damn right I needed some rescuing. Do you know how gross it is to have a guy undress you with his eyes? Seriously it's creepy."  
"What the hell were you doing talking to him in the first place?"  
"Well let's see I was standing around being bored cuz you three were ignoring me, for chasers no less, and he started talking to me. That's how I got stuck talking to him."  
"Aww is someone feeling left out? Don't worry you rate higher than any chaser does."  
"Yeah cuz I'm just so damn sexy, huh?" she said grinning.  
"Glad to see that you're finally realizing this." Tej said as he walked up to them. "Well you two, Race's are getting ready to start so if ya need to talk to Brian then go now."  
"Alright then, I'll be back in a minute you two. And don't take off cuz if you aren't here when I get back I'm gonna beat the hell outta ya both." As she walked off towards Brian's car the two watched her. She looked like she was having more fun than she had since she showed up at the garage nearly a month ago. As they continued to watch her a girl caught Rome's attention out of the corner of his eye. Looking over that way he groaned and looked at Tej,  
"Please tell me that's a figment of my imagination. Bra just tell me that isn't who I think it is." And he pointed in the direction where he saw her.  
"Wish I could Ro' but she's real, and unfortunately we know she's not gonna go away." Tej said meaning every word of what he said.  
"You know I just saw an upside to her being here."  
"And what would that be? Cuz I'm dieing to know."  
"Keira gets to meet her tonight. I got one word for you. Fireworks."  
"Damn right fireworks. Big ass and really bright ones too." And saying that both men relaxed waiting for the show that was sure to start sometime tonight. Neither one was willing to miss that one and unfortunately Suki would have to, unless. As soon as the light bulb clicked inside Tej's head he dialed Jimmy's cell number knowing he'd gotten to the races before the four of them. As soon as the other line was picked up he began talking.  
"Hey Jimmy you bring that video camera of yours with you tonight?"  
"Yeah it's in the car why?"  
"We gotta tape something for Suki tonight. Where you at?"  
"Down closer to the first turn."  
"Aiight, grab the camera and meet me and Rome up by the start line."  
"I'll see ya in a few." They both hung up after that. Rome had a shit eating grin on his face when Tej looked over to him.  
"That was some nice work. You just saved our asses you know. Suks woulda been pissed if she missed that."  
"Yeah I know. But ya know it was for our benefit too. Just think we can watch that tape over and over again."  
"Ha ha that's fucking brilliant dawg. I might bust the tape watching it so much tho."  
"Don't worry bout that... that's what copies are for." While the two of them were talking and planning this whole event, Keira had made her way over to Brian. Seeing that he was sitting on the hood and hadn't seen her she came up behind him and, putting her hands over his eyes, said,  
"Guess who."  
"Well damn at least make it hard Keira." He answered grabbing her hands and pulled her in front of him. "Where were you earlier, I couldn't find you."  
"Guess that's what happens when the skanks start to cloud your vision. But that's okay cuz I forgive you."  
"Oh I'm so glad to know this. I can die a happy man all because you forgave me."  
"I know it's a great feeling isn't it?" Grabbing her by the waist he pulled her closer to him and began tickling her side. As she squirmed and squealed she managed to choke out, "Bri... stop... please?" before losing complete control and nearly falling over from laughing. Pulling her up straight again he stopped and grinned at her.  
"I see that you're still ticklish." Punching him in the stomach lightly she just looked at him and said,  
"Shut up Brian. You damn well knew I was still ticklish you ass."  
"Yeah I know I did. But back to my question, where were you?"  
"Being visually violated by some guy named Orange Julius or something like that."  
"Poor you. Want me to kick his ass for you?"  
"Nah I think I can handle that. So who all is racing tonight?"  
"Me-"  
"Well no shit Sherlock."  
"Can I finish what I was saying?" After a second of silence from her he continued, "Me, a couple of the regulars and some new guy, don't know who though."  
"Oh okay. Well yeah I just wanted to wish ya luck, and pick out the song you race to."  
"Shouldn't I do that; ya know pick something to hype me up."  
"I think I've known ya long enough to pick it for ya. Besides you love me too much to tell me 'no'."  
"Just keep telling yourself that and your mental health should be fine."  
"Bite me Brian."  
"You seem to like that phrase a lot." Keira decided to not even answer him and just sat down in the car and began flipping through the songs on the cd in at the moment. Soon she'd found it. Leaning her head out the window she yelled up to him, "Bri I found the song."  
"And what would that song be?"  
"'Away From Me' by Puddle of Mud. It's a kick ass song so I don't want to hear you complain."  
"Fine whatever you say your highness. But listen the race is getting ready to start so in need to get in my car."  
"Yeah ya normally do when you drive ya know." She said deciding to be a smart ass. She grinned as she stood up and before she moved to let him in the car she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and said, "Good Luck Bri, and you better win." Then she walked over to stand next to Rome. Watching Brian get in his car and Tej walk up to the starting line she could feel the adrenaline rush into her own veins. It was just something she found so contagious, especially since she hadn't been to any type of race for a long time. As she watched lower his arm for the final time and the cars take off she felt the nitrous enter her and the relaxed calm feeling take over her. She loved the whole atmosphere around races, it was so full of energy and life it was hard not to get sucked into it. As she stood there next to Rome and leaned back on his Spyder she waited to hear the roar of the engines coming back. She didn't have to wait long and before she knew it she could see Brian's car lead the rest of them back towards the crowd. As soon as his car had stopped Keira noticed a girl with dark hair make her way over to his car. The second he was out of his car she saw how uncomfortable he looked already. Turning to look at Rome she asked,  
"Who's that over there with Brian?"  
"Oh that's Monica. C'mon lets go get Tej and Jimmy." Trying to sound like it wasn't that big of a deal.  
"Hold up a minute! That's Monica?"  
"Yeah, now let's go get those two and then we'll go see Brian."  
"Fine we'll go get Tej and Jimmy." And they began walking. As the two got closer to their other friends it finally dawned on her. "Rome you and Tej knew she was here didn't you?"  
"Yeah we did. I saw her after you took off to go talk to Brian before the race."  
"Alright so basically we're collecting an audience at the moment, right?"  
"Yeah basically, well that and a camera man."  
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"  
"I mean that we're taping it so Suki can see it. Plus I want the look on her face when you start on her immortalized."  
"Wow I'm shocked you know how to use such a big word."  
"Ha ha, damn you're funny. Now come on we gotta go get those two and get over there before she leaves."  
"Alright just a sec I'll handle it." Then cupping her hand around her mouth she began to yell, "Tej, Jimmy! C'mon you two we gotta go see Bri!" Hearing this they immediately started for the two of them, fighting their way through the crowd. As soon as they got to her and Rome she looked at Jimmy and said with a huge grin on her face, "Get that camera rollin' boy." And then she unclasped the necklace that was around her neck that none of them had noticed before and slid the platinum sapphire and diamond ring that had been hanging from it onto her ring finger. Looking at her in shock Tej asked her,  
"Where the hell did that come from?"  
"My brother got it for me for my high school graduation. Ya'll never noticed it before? I always either have it on or on that necklace."  
"Nope."  
"Oh well c'mon if you're looking for a show you're bout to get one." And saying that she walked towards where Brian and Monica were still standing, all three guys following her close behind. As she got closer she did something no one was expecting, she pulled Brian into a kiss. While their lips were still pressed together Keira muttered, "If you wanna get rid of her just play along, alright?" Brian nodded his head slightly to let her know he had agreed to it. As they pulled apart she grinned and said, "Hey babe."  
"Hey yourself, gorgeous. Oh Monica have you met Keira?" Brian said playing his part well. Seeing the shocked look still on her face, he looked to where Tej and Rome were fighting to contain their laughter. Then he saw the video camera Jimmy was holding while watching the whole thing unfold.  
"No I don't think we have. I'm Monica Fuentes." She finally managed to get out. The sneer that was normally on her face back in place.  
"Oh you're the customs agent that Bri was telling me about. It's nice to meet you. I'm Keira Michaels, Brian's fiancée." She said and held out her hand with a sickly sweet smile on her face. Monica looked like she might drop dead at any second as soon as the word fiancée had come from Keira's mouth.  
"Really Brian never mentioned that to me when we talked a few weeks ago. In fact he never even said he was seeing anyone."  
"That was my fault really. I wanted to keep our relationship quiet for both our sakes. I have an overly nosey family and they like to pry."  
"I see. So how long have you two been seeing each other?"  
"About six months." Brian said deciding to step in knowing the last time he'd actually seen Monica it had been a good eight or nine months.  
"Oh that's great, but engaged already?"  
"Yeah we've both never felt the way we do about each other before. It's amazing how you really do know when you've found the one, isn't it sweetie?" Keira said as Brian wrapped his arms around her waist and she looked up at Brian. He turned his head to face her.  
"Yeah it is." Monica rolled her eyes while they pretended to be completely wrapped up in each other. As she noticed Tej and Rome standing close, and Jimmy video taping them she let out an irritated sigh and said,  
"Brian the reason I came here tonight is because I need to tell you and Rome something about the case you two worked on. And I need to tell you two privately." She was hoping to get rid of Keira and everyone saw this.  
"Whatever you have to say to us you can say in front of Keira, Tej, and Jimmy. Keira and I don't keep secrets from each other and those two already know everything anyway." Brian said. He knew that seeing him with Keira was getting on her nerves and truthfully he was loving every minute of it.  
"Fine whatever you say Brian."  
"So Miss Federal Agent get to speaking so you can get to steppin'." Rome said already annoyed with her.  
"Glad to see you're still as charming as ever Roman."  
"He is quite charming isn't he? It's a wonder someone hasn't gotten to him yet." Keira said, feeling the need to get bitchy. She wasn't about to let her come in and think she owned everything. "Now can you get back to what you were about to tell us? We've got a party to get to and we don't wanna be late."  
"Yeah I should get to the point. Carter left Los Angeles last night. He's headed for New York but at the moment we aren't sure if he's gonna come down here or not."  
"Oh hell no, you're telling us that Verone might be on his way to kill us?"  
"It's a possibility but we've got agents that are going to be posted outside your house and where you work." As they continued to talk the color in Keira's face steadily drained. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It seemed like everything had faded away. She didn't even notice when Monica left barely hiding a glare directed towards her. As they surrounded her Brian walked in front of her before holding the sides of her face in his hands and making her look at him.  
"Keeks are you okay?" Shaking her head to snap herself out of the trance she was in she looked at him and said,  
"Bri, we gotta talk. I'ma tell you who I'm running from."  
"Alright. Do you want it to be just me and you, or what?"  
"No its better if all of you are here. It involves you guys so you should know what I've gotten you into."  
"That's cool girl, just take your time." Tej said, he could tell she was really shaken up, and he didn't want to push her.  
"Guys, I just want you to know that if I'd known before I'd never have gotten you involved. But I didn't and now I don't know if you're gonna be safe or not. But I guess I should just let you know so here goes. I've been running from Carter Verone."  
  
A/N: Hey guys... so how'd you like that ending?? I am soo beyond pissed... is murder still a crime if they can't identify the body?? If you watch wrestling you'll know why. Angle needs to die!! But yeah anyways, thanx for the reviews I really appreciate them. I know that this chappy is a lot longer than my others but what can I say... I like writing racing scenes. Its fun. I wanna give a shout out to my girls... Cheer, Chels, Tiff (your review had me rollin'. I still laugh thinking about it.), My Twin, Bbysail, and Cc. I luv ya'll tons and you know it. So yeah... we gots some drama in the next chapter don't ya think?? Hehe I luv my drama but I'm only the princess Cheer's the Queen. So yeah that's bout all I gotta say but I'm gonna try and update sooner I've just been really busy and out of town a lot. It really truly kinda sux...like a hoe giving head... hehe I promise ya Cc that quote will be famous one day. I haven't been able to write a whole lot. Oh and if i didn't give ya a shout out don't worry its jsut my computer has been fucked up and i couldn't get to my review page... so its not that i don't luv ya!! Later guys and can't wait for your reviews. Luv ya!! Bye!!!  
  
Jess 


	4. Reactions

Reactions

The four men just stood in front of her looking like they hadn't comprehended what had just come from her mouth. Brian and Rome looked the most shocked with both of their mouths hanging open. Looking around at them Keira shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortably and wishing one of them would say something. Walking over to Brian she held her head down and said,

"I don't want any of you getting hurt so first thing in the morning me and Haylee are gonna go somewhere else."

"Bullshit girl, you're stayin' put. Do you really think he's gonna leave us alone if you're not around? We're the ones who put his ass in prison." Rome said in a tone that said even if she tried to argue it wouldn't do any good, and turning to Tej and Jimmy she saw them nodding their heads. Focusing on Brian once again she was worried about his reaction. He still hadn't said anything, and that was the scariest part. She could have dealt with him yelling and being mad at her but it was killing her not knowing what he was feeling.

"Brian, say something. Please?" Keira pleaded, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"It was Verone who did that to you?" He asked, looking down at her and balling his fists. She just nodded her head, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. Tilting her head up with a finger under her chin he wiped away the tears with the pad of his thumb and pulled her into a hug. As he held her she started to sob, to which he just held her tighter and tried to calm her down. He now knew what kind of stress she'd been under these past few weeks, and whether she knew it or not she also earned more of his respect for having the courage to leave someone with as much power as Carter Verone had. As soon as she had calmed down and stopped crying he looked at everyone else and said,

"Let's get back to the house. We need to talk about this and figure out what the hell we're gonna do." As they all nodded he helped Keira into the car and walked around getting in before they all drove off. Slipping on the jacket Suki had let her borrow, she wrapped her arms around herself tightly and sat silently in the bucket seat. Everything was quiet as they drove the distance to the house until they pulled in the driveway. As she went to pull the door handle Brian stopped her and said,

"No. Me and you need to talk, just the two of us."

"Alright." She answered with a sigh, she'd known that this was coming. "Can we at least get out of the car?"

"Yeah, we'll go around back." As they stepped out of the car, Brian waved the rest of the crew, who'd been waiting for them, inside and the two if then walked towards the backyard. Sitting down on the one of the steps leading up to the deck she waited for him to start with the interrogation. Walking back and fourth in front of her, Brian tried to decide how to approach her on this subject, then looking down at her he made his mind up. She was upset enough as it was, he didn't need to add to her stress level by being a hard ass. Sitting down next to her she put his arm around her shoulder and let her lean her head on his shoulder.

"You know you didn't have to hide who it was." He said looking straight ahead of him.

"I guess deep down I did, but it's hard when you're so scared. You've dealt with him before, you know he's got people all over the place." She replied moving closer to him, wanting to feel safe and secure.

"Girl you gotta remember, I used to be a cop, we could put him away."

"You gotta remember Bri, he's got power. Besides the charges would never stay, i never reported it before, who the hell would believe it?"

"Any person who wasn't blind Keeks, that's who. No offense but you looked like hell when you showed up here."

"Yeah I know, but... gah... hell I don't know I guess I figured even if I did turn him in things would end up shittier than they already were. Obviously running hasn't helped though cuz now I've dragged you guys in this mess." She said with a sigh.

"Don't even say that. You know I'm here for you no matter what. Besides Rome and me were in this anyway. We always knew he was gonna come after us eventually, so you excelerated that a little bit. Just means we get to kick his ass once again all that much sooner." This got a short laugh out of Keira before she shook her head as he grinned at her. After sitting out there for a while, just talking and messing around the two of them headed back inside and went to bed.

Almost a week later Keira was sitting behind the counter of the garage doing paper work at the desk, bored to the point of stupidity with Haylee out in the garage with everyone else, when the door opened and someone walked in. Glad to have a distraction, she looked up quickly and was met with the sight of a tall, muscular guy. As he walked up to the counter she got up out of the chair she was in and straightended the jean skirt she'd borrowed from Suki knowing she was working in the office today and that it was boiling outside, and pushed her bangs out of her face. Once he was standing in front of her she looked up at him and asked,

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I was told this is the place to come to get in on the races." He said, looking around the place while answering her.

"You're a racer?"

"Yeah, it can't be that hard to believe, can it?"

"No its not that you don't look it, I've just never seen ya around here before."

"I just got in town. I'm looking for someone, figured I might as well check out the racing while I'm down here."

"Well you were right in coming here then. Tej organizes and runs the races here."

"Can I talk to him then?" The guy asked.

"He's busy at the minute, but I'll let him know you want in. But first off, you can run cicuits right, or do you run the straight quarter mile drag?"

"I run the quarter mile."

"Aiight, I'll see if he can set something up for you, but no promises." Nodding he smiled at her and leaned on the counter, down at her eye level and asked,

"So what about you? Being new in town and all I think I might need a guide." Keira was shocked at having him ask her out, and wasn't quite sure what to say. As he stood there waiting for an answer, Suki's words over the past five days rang through her mind, 'Girl you need to get out, go have some fun. Don't worry bout Haylee, we can handle her.', deciding to take her friends advice instead of risking her finding out and being bitched out, she grinned up at him and said,

"I don't know how good of a guide I'd be, I've only been here for bout two months but I can try. If nothing else we can get ourselves completely lost together." Letting out a low laugh he stood up straight again.

"My name is Dom by the way."

"Keira."

"So should I pick you up say around eight tomorrow night?"

"That'll be great. Call my cell and I'll give you directions to my house, or have my friend do it for me, either way you'll get there." Writing her name and number down on the back of one of the cards on the desk, she handed it to him. "See ya tomorrow, Dom."

"Yeah, see ya then." With a wave of the hand he walked out the door and out to his car. Once he was out of sight she sat down and got back to work for the rest of the day, not half as irritated with doing paperwork as she had been earlier. The rest of the day passed quickly and before she realized it, it was the next day and was nearly time for them to head home.

Keira still hadn't told Suki she had a date that night and wasn't planning to until they were at home and she was getting ready. Once everything was cleaned up and they were getting ready to leave she ran up to Tej and asked him to take drive the Escalade home with Haylee so she could ride home with Suki. Agreeing to it she hugged him quickly and hopped into the passenger seat of Suki's car. As the two girls drove home, Keira flipped through the radio stations before getting annoyed and turning the cd player on which immediately started playing 'One Call Away' by Chingy. Twisting in her seat she looked at Suki and said,

"I need your help tonight."

"What do ya need girl?" Suki asked, unsure what her friend was up to.

"I need you to help me pick out an outfit and keep an eye on Hayls for me."

"Why, where are you going?"

"I've got a date." She said like it was nothing but grinning all the same.

"Holy shit! Are you kidding me?!? It's about damn time! Who is this guy?" She practically yelled turning her head to face Keira.

"Ha I knew you'd be happy! He's new in town he came into the grage asking bout the races, but his name is Dom. And girl he is HOT! He's picking me up at the house, he's gonna call my cell and I'ma have you give him directions since you know the area better than me. Wait til you see him!" Laughing the two of them spent the rest of the ride home talking bout what she was going to wear and everything else. Once they were at the house the two of them were the first inside and up the stairs before anyone else was even to the door, making them all wonder what was going on.

Upstairs the two of them were ripping apart their closets trying to find the perfect outfit for tonight and making more noise than was necessary as usual. Soon Haylee was up there with them and looking in between the two asked,

"What ya doing?"

"If we tell ya promise not to go downstairs and tell the guys?" Keira asked knowing her niece and the overly nosey guys she lived with all too well.

"Promise!" The little girl said enthusiastically.

"Kay, your Aunt Kiki is going on a date tonight." Suki said looking at her while Keira rooted through her closet.

"With a _boy_?" Haylee asked.

"Of course with a boy, who else would I go out with?" Keira said, laughing at the question.

"Ick! Boys are gross." scrunching up her nose, she looked at her aunt like she had two heads making Suki fall into a fit of laughter while going through the clothes that they'd tossed on the bed, Keira joining her and taking what she liked and hanging it on the footboard of Suki's bed. After a while Keira went into the bathroom with the outfits she liked most and hopped in the shower to start getting ready, leaving her cell on the bed so Suki could get to it if Dom happened to call while she was in the shower. As she was getting dressed she let out a frustrated growl before storming into the room only to find Suki on the phone. As she help up her finger signaling to Keira to hang on for a second she said,

"Alright, I'll tell her to expect you in about forty-five minutes then. Bye." Looking at her she asked, "Why aren't you dressed yet?"

"I don't know which outfit I like better. Help me!"

"Chill out, no sweat, let me see them both on ya and I'll tell ya which one I like better." Since she'd already seen the outfit she had on, Keira went and put on the other one. When she walked back in the room she did a quick turn and said,

"Well?"

"This one, definitely this one. It's perfect, not too dressy but if you go to a club you'll be fine." Suki said, surveying the boot cut jeans and light smokey gray top that Keira was wearing. The shirt was a satin tank top with wide straps that was fitted on the top with a v-neck that flowed out loosely right below the bust line. The jeans were a dark denim and she was wearing a pair of black three inch heels. Nodding she went back to the bathroom and finished getting ready. Putting on a shiny brown shadow on her lower eyelid she put a lighter brown on her brow bone and under her eye. Adding a coat of mascara and a little eyeline she finished the look with a brown tinted lip gloss. When she was done she looked at the clock and saw she had fifteen minutes to spare until Dom was going to pick her up and went back to Suki's room.

"Done, and with time to spare." She said smiling at her niece and friend.

"You look great. You're gonna knock him dead when he see's you." Suki said before walking over to her dresser and grabbing something off of it. As she handed it to her, Keira saw that it was a short silver chain with a small cross with a diamond in the middle hanging from it.

"It's gorgeous Suks."

"Yeah and It'll look great with that outfit. Remember to have fun tonight."

"I will, it's just kinda weird going out with someone other than the guys." Laughing Suki nodded and they all walked downstairs to wait. Somehow they managed to avoid the boys all together and when the bell rang Keira jumped up yelling,

"I've got it!" When she answered she saw Dom wearing a pair of jeans and a black shirt.

"Wow, you look great." He said looking at her.

"You don't clean up too bad yourself." She said with a grin before turning her head to look back in the house and yelling once more, "It's for me. I'll see you all later! Don't wait up!" and walking out of the house and to his car she left Suki to deal with telling the boys she was going on a date.

"Where'd Keira go?" Brian asked, walking into the living room, where Haylee was watching cartoons.

"Out." Suki said shortly, never taking her eyes off the television.

"Out where? And with who? All the cars are still here."

"Fine, but you gotta promise not to make a huge deal outta it." She said, sitting up and looking at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"She went out on a date. With who, I'm not really sure. He came into the garage yesterday and asked her out."

"Are you kidding me? She's out with some stranger? Do you know where they went?"

"Nope. Sorry, I didn't ask. But I can tell ya that he's new around here."

"Great." Brian said, a little sarcastically while rolling his eyes. Shrugging it off Suki watched as he walked back into the kitchen, most likely to tell the rest of the guys what was going on. Grabbing her cell she decided to text Keira and let her know that Brian wasn't exactly thrilled with her going out. She then looked over at Haylee and asked,

"So ya wanna go get some food?" Once the little girl had nodded Suki swept her up in her arms and ran towards the door grabbing her keys on the way out and yelling that they were going to get some food.

As they sat waiting for their food to arrive, Keira and Dom talked about where they'd lived before coming out to Miami and found that he had actually known her brother and sister-in-law from the races. As they were laughing about something Dom had just said she heard her cell phone go off.

"Can you give me a second to answer that?" She asked as she grabbed her purse.

"No problem. I'll be back in a minute." As she answered her phone she was met with Suki's voice,

"I'm so sorry I'm interrupting your date but I had to call! Beware of Brian when you get back, he wasn't exactly happy when he found out you were on a date."

"What the hell does it matter to him? Ya know what, don't answer that. I'll see you when I get home, you'll be there right?"

"Yeps, me and Mini-Me are jsut headed out to get some food then we're going back to the house."

"Alright, I really want you to meet this guy. See ya later Suks."

"Later chica." Just as she hung her phone up and put it back in her purse Dom came back to the table. As he sat down he asked,

"Is everything okay?"

"Perfectly fine," She said with a smile, "Just my girl looking out for me. Didn't want me to be unprepared."

"For what?"

"One of my various roommates. He's a bit protective over me, but I guess he has good reason. Besides I've known Bri for a few years and we're pretty close."

"It's good to have that. Especially since the only real family you got left is your niece."

"Yeah, Suki and the guys are my family. If it weren't for them I don't know what I'd do. They took me and Haylee in when I had nowhere else to go."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that. Why'd you just up and leave L.A. the way you did?" He asked looking at her curiously. Looking down at her plate, she pushed her food around her plate, before looking back up and saying,

"I'd rather not get into that right now. It's still a pretty touchy subject."

"I understand that. There's certain things I don't like brought up, and thankfully my team knows not to bring them up." Once they were done eating the two of them went to a club that Suki had told Keira about and had just come off the dance floor. Going over to the bar Dom ordered a Corona and left her to order her own. Looking at the bartender she said,

"I'll have the same. And don't forget the lime and salt!" Seeing the look that he was giving her she shrugged. "What? It's the only beer I drink. All the other stuff is nasty." Laughing, Dom shook his head and handed her, her beer. A few hours later she looked at her phone and realized that it was eleven-thirty. Leaning towards Dom she half yelled.

"We should probably get going. It's already past eleven and I'm willing to bet I'm in some shit. Not that I really care its just I do need to get home at a decent hour since I'm working tomorrow." Nodding he grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd and out the doors to his car. As he drove Keira got bored with the station on his radio and began flicking through the various stations, trying to find something she wanted to listen to. Soon she found something she liked and left it there. When they were about five minutes from the house she text messaged Suki telling her that they'd be there soon and to meet them outside.

As they pulled up in front of the house, she could make out Suki sitting on the front porch. Looking over at Dom she tilted her head towards the porch.

"C'mon I got someone I want you to meet." Getting out of the car they both walked up to the porch. As she stood in between Suki and Dom she wasn't surprised when Suki leaned in towards her ear and whispered,

"Damn you weren't kidding when you said he was hot." Shaking her head Keira looked between the two.

"Suki, this is Dom. Dom this is my partner in crime Suki." As the three of them stood outside talking they heard the door handle turn. Groaning Keira ran a hand through her hair, "Here we go."

"Keira where the hell have you been? You've been gone for hours." Brian said barging out the front door. As soon as he had spoken both girls noticed Dom tense up. Turning around slowly both men looked at each other in shock, then in a voice that showed he couldn't believe what was happening Dom half asked,

"Spilner?"

_**A/N: Hahahaha.... and here's where I end this chapter! Evil??? I know... what do you expect outta me. But now I really wanna apologize for it taking me so long to update on here... but honestly I've a seriously bad case of writers block as far as any TFATF fic goes... its sucked royally. But hopefully I'm back on track now... crosses fingers. But yeah anywayz... do you hate the cliffies?? If so I'm sorry... but its not my fault I do it... my daddy is the Devil or at least that's what I'm told. Lol and Cheer's my momma (hehe you know what I'm talking bout.) To all of those who review... thanks a bunch for doing so... I love ya for it! Well I'm out... til the next chappy... Laterz!**_

**_Jess_**


	5. Reunions

**Reunions**

Stopping where he was Brian didn't want to believe what was happening. Suki and Keira both just looked confused, not understanding how the two knew each other. Dom and Brian both just continued to stare at each other, neither one knowing what to say. Realizing Dom had called him 'Spilner', Keira stood between the two and cocked an eyebrow before saying,

"Uh Dom? I think you're confused. Brian's last name is O'Connor."

"Nah Keira don't worry bout it. He's not confused." Brian answered, with a shrug before stuffing his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "So Dom, how've things been?"

Dom imediately tensed up as he heard this, and soon was trying to advance towards Brian. Seeing this couldn't end well Suki got in the middle with Keira and pushed Brian back, while Keira kept Dom where he was simply putting both hands on his chest. It didn't take long for Dom's voice to raise.

"You wanna know how things have been? You almost busted me, and you ask me that?"

"Wait a minute! I want to know what the hell is going on, and I want to know _now_." Keira said, growling the last word. She wasn't enjoying being uninformed and was ready for some answers. Looking at Suki, she could tell she felt the same, but could also see the underlying defensiveness she had for Brian. She didn't like when people came around and started threatening the people she loved and cared about. Backing off a bit more, Dom looked Brian in the eyes and asked,

"You want to tell her, or should I?"

"I will. Better she heard it from me anyway." Brian said with a sigh. Running a hand through his hair and looking at the ground, he took a minute to gather his thoughts. Once he looked back up, he began again. "After we spilt in L.A., and for a little while when we were together, I was working on a case to bust Dom and his team."

"For what?" Keira asked, crossing her arms over her chest, not waiting for him to elaborate. She was beginning to like this story less and less.

"For popping trucks."

"What Blondie is taking his sweet ass time saying is that when it came down to it he let us go." Dom interrupted, now with his arm folded across his chest.

"And you're still pissed at him why? He took the fall for you, didn't he? He coulda turned you all in." Suki said, confused and annoyed with the tall man standing in front of her.

"Because he betrayed us. He lied to us and we took him in. Well most of us, Vince was the only one who saw through it all. he's over it now, kinda has to be since you saved his life." He answered, directing the last part towards Brian. Keira's look had softened a considerable amount after hearing the whole story.

"I'm taking a guess on saying that's what you don't like being brought up and I totally understand why you don't like talking about it." She said, her eyes showing she was being completely honest. Dom just nodded in reply before saying,

"Good then you understand why I need to punch him one time too. Just to get it outta my system."

"Believe me when I say I do. Hell I'd prolly want to if I were you too, but I really can't let you do it."

"Nah Keira, let him do it. I know I deserve it just as much as you do." Brian said, side stepping his way past Suki and coming to stand right behind her. Knowing he had a stubborn streak when he chose to, she moved out of the way. She knew just as well as he did that there wasn't any way she'd be able to talk him out of it and wasn't even gonna bother to waste her time trying. Suki looked ready to try, but stopped when Keira sent her a look that said 'Don't bother'.

Watching as Dom pulled his arm back, she turned her head, not wanting to watch what was about to happen. As Suki joined her where she was standing they waited for something to happen. Both of them winced the second they heard Dom's fist connect with Brian's face, knocking him back a couple of steps. As Dom backed away, Brian holding his eye, Keira looked between the two and half asked,

"We done now?" Seeing both nod she pulled Brian's hand down and surveyed the damage. Sighing she said, "C'mon we need to get some ice on that. Dom, you wanna come in? Now would be a good time for you to talk to Tej about your race."

"Might as well." He answered with a shrug before following the three others in the house. As they all stepped into the kitchen Rome looked up and asked,

"What the hell happened to you?"

"He hit him?" Suki said, pointing back at Dom.

"Slow down Ro'. Brian let him." Keira said, anticipating what was coming and stopping it before it got started. Seeing him give her a skeptical look she held up a hand and said, "Don't ask."

Walking over to the refrigerator she opened the freezer door and started moving things around inside looking for ice. When she didn't find any she rolled her eyes and grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables. Not taking any time to be gentle about it, she moved Brian's hand once again and slapped the bag on his face. Groaning in pain he said,

"Thanks Keeks, made it feel that much better."

"Quit your bitchin'. You're the one who let him hit you in the first place." She answered with a shrug of her shoulders and a smirk. Not saying another word to anyone in the room she went upstairs to the room she was sharing with Haylee, and turned on a lamp. Seeing that her neice was still asleep she walked over to the dresser and grabbed a pair of short jean shorts that had grease stains on them and a white tank top. Puliing the clothes on really quick she walked out of the room and right into Tej.

"Whoa girl. Slow down. How'd your date go?" he asked, keeping her balanced so she didn't fall.

"I'm guessing Bri told ya'll. Good actually. Kinda headed south after we got back here though." She answered, falling in step with him as the walked down the hall.

"Brian catch ya'll?"

"Yup. I was letting Suks meet the guy, ya know, see what she thought. Next thing I know Brian's out there with us."

"Damn. Someone in this house has bad timing."

"Oh no... It gets better. Bri ends up knowing him from California. It's the guy he let go before he left."

"Your just playin', right." Tej asked, now giving her a look of total shock. Watching as she shook her head no, he took in a deep breath. "It's bout to get crazy 'round here, ain't it."

"Not too much, I hope. Bri already let Dom hit him."

"Are you for real?"

"Yup. Boy's gonna have one helluva a shiner tomorrow."

"Serves his dumbass right. What the hell was he thinking _letting_ someone hit him?"

"Don't ask me. Tried to stop 'em both. Neither one would listen." Shaking his head, Tej watched as she walked towards the back door.

"You headin' out to the garage?" All she did was nod in reply before walking out the door.

She was about half way there when she noticed a dark colored sedan drive by slowly. Taking a few steps back she slid back around the corneer of the house so they wouldn't see her. She knew it was probably a little paranoid but she couldn't help it. Her worry increased when she noticed that the car was unmarked and was coming to a stop in front of the house. Hurrying back up the stairs and inside, she jogged into the kitchen.

"I thought you were going to work on your car." Brian said, looking up at her from the table where he and Dom had now taken seats. Leaning back on the counter, she took a deep breath and answered as calmly as she could,

"Well I was, but I saw this car driving by slow. As far as I can tell... they're headed for the house right now." No one got the chance to ask anymore questions though because at that second the doorbell rang. Looking at Brian, panicked, she was glad when he took charge.

"Everyone stay here. I'ma get that, just be ready to get outta the house if we need to." He said before leaving the kitchento answer the door. Looking around the room, Dom raised an eyebrow before looking at Keira and asking,

"What the hell is going on around here."

"My drama. The reason I left L.A."

Opening the front door, Brian couldn't believe who he was seeing. His jaw hanging open, he just stared at them for a few moments until one of them cleared their throats.

"O'Connor." Bilkins said simply, Markham standing stiffly next to him, not looking at all pleased to be there. Finally finding his voice Brian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, something he was begining to pick up from Keira lately, and ask skeptically,

"I'm curious... What the hell are you two doing here? My record's clean, I know Verone's out. Nothing new that you two can tell me."

"Yo Bri! What's going on out here?" Rome said, walking out of the kitchen, knowing it was too quiet for something not to be going on. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who wqas standing at the door. Looking towards Brian then glancing back at the two, "Why the hell are _they_ here?"

"If I knew they wouldn't be standing here still. Go let Keira know its chill, she ain't got nothing to worry about." All Rome did was poke his head back through the door way and yell it to her. Rolling his eyes, Brian turned back towards Bilkins and Markham and waited for some answers.

"What, we aren't being invited in?" Markham half sneered, earning himself a look from Bilkins telling him to shut up. It was then that Dom and keira walked out of the kitchen. It was Bilkins turn to raise an eyebrow, staring at Dom in shock he asked,

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Yeah, it is. But that's not why you're here, so enlighten me."

"Fine. We want to post surveilance outside your house and where you work in case Verone shows up."

"Keep wishing. It ain't happening. We can take care of ourselves, and believe me we got enough eyes around this house to know if he's coming around."

"Listen, we just want to make sure no one gets hurt. Hell if Fuentes didn't think he's headed east for revenge we wouldn't be doing this." Markham said. As soon as they'd heard Monica's name mentioned both Rome and Keira looked at each other and snorted.. Walking up next to Brian she looked from Bilkins to Markham a couple of times before asking,

"Which one of you is the customs agent?"

"I am." Taking in the sight of him, Keira wasn't sure what to think of the short dark headed man standing in front of her. He seemed like an ass to her.

"Well let me tell ya something. Monica isn't as concerned with all of our safety as she is with Brian's. The girl is into him, and I'm willing to bet she only suggested this because she wants to be able to have all the information on Brian she can get. She wants to know his every little move, and trust me, that's the last thing the poor guy needs. We don't want your babysitting, so go offer it to someone else."

Rome was leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face, trying not to laugh While Dom just stood there looking impressed she'd had the balls to talk to a fedral agent the way she just had. Brian couldn't keep the boyish grin off his face as he looked at the two, still standing on the porch and asked like a smartass,

"Did she make it clear for ya? Thanks but, no thanks." Shutting the door in their faces, he turned around and Dom looked at the three,

"Should I even ask?"

"Probably not. Watch out for those two though, Bilkins isn't too bad but Markham... well he's just a pain in the ass." Brian answered, walking back into the kitchen with them.

"maybe he just needs to get a little. He should really talk to Monica, from what Rome tells me she sleeps with the enemy... Why not the boss?" Keira commented makig Rome laugh. Shaking his head at her, all Brian could do was look at her making her bat her eyes innocently, "What? You know I can't keep my thoughts to myself so don't give me that look! Besides... Rome thought it was funny."

It had barely been five minutes when Brian's cell phone was going off. Rolling her eyes at everyone as Brian walked out of the room to answer it, Keira groaned and said monotonously,

"I'll give ya three guesses on who that is, and the last two don't count."

"Umm... Monica?" Suki said in voice much like her own. Plastering a fake smile on his face, Rome pretending to be ringing a bell and said in a fake announcers voice,

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!"

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you guys don't like her?" Dom said, taking a drink from his bottle of Corona, something everyone had sitting in front them.Laughing Tej was the first to answer,

"Understatement of the year, bra."

"Oh yeah, understatement would be right. I've only met her once, and I can't stand her. She's so far up Brian's ass when she around him I don't know how the boy can move." Keira said, nodding her agreement with Tej. "Besides, she's a cop and you of all people should know that's about as taboo as it comes in the street racin' world."

As they continued talking, discussing how they felt about their 'favorite' customs agent, Brian was searching for any reason at all to get off the phone when Haylee came walking down the stairs. Thanking god for small miracles, he told Monica he had to go and take care of something and hung up. Watching as she came down the last step, rubbing her tired eyes and looking up at him he asked,

"What are you doing up?" All she did was shrug before asking,

"Is Aunt Kiki back yet?"

"Yeah she's back. Want me to get her for ya?" Seeing her nod, he opened the door to the kitchen and got Keira's attention. Coming out; saw her neice sitting on the bottom step, leaning against the bannister, ready to fall asleep and had to bite back the giggle trying to force its way out of her. Picking her up, she walked up the stairs, and laid her back in her bed before asking,

"What'd ya need Hayls?"

"I just wanted to say night." was all she said, letting out a big yawn and rolling over in her bed. Grinning, Keira kissed her forehead and pulled the covers up over her whispering 'Goodnight' and walking out of the room, leaving it cracked open to let in a little light.

**A/N: Well... there's a new chapter... I know! It took forever... wasn't something I planned believe me. Didn't have internet for a LONG time... so its not like i could update. And then I had to start this chapter again... thank god that i didn't have a whole lot of it done or i wouldn't have and you all would be waiting for this think even longer. As for anyone who's reading my other fic 'Returning Home' don't expect an update on it for a while... I can't get the disks i saved it on to load the chapter to this computer and i had way too much done to start over... so until I get my other computer back nothing is gonna happen with it. This one will keep being updated tho... thats a sure thing. Wellz... plz.. I'm begging... Review... i haven't had one in a LONG time... talk about withdrawls... Oh and to my new readers who've sent me reviews in the last couple months... You guys rock! I was so shocked to see those in my mail... my jaw literally dropped. Kay well I'ma go now cuz this thing is a lot longer than i planned... Lova ya all! Oh and Review... yeah i know i said it already... i'm just stressing the point! Laterz!**

**Jess**


	6. A Day of Relaxation Well Almost

**A Day of Relaxation... Well Almost**

A few days had passed since the visit from Bilkins and Markham, and things were slowly going back to normal, no one looking out for cars watching the house nearly as much. It was early in the morning when Keira came running out of the kitchen, making Brian and Rome both look up from where they were sitting on the couch. Yanking Brian up by the front of his shirt she started pointing towards the kitchen door and hopping around yelling,

"Kill it! Kill it! KILL IT!"

"Kill what?" He asked looking utterly confused, as he watched her continue to hop. Shuddering in what looked to be disgust she cringed while answering,

"The spider. I want it dead. It came outta the coffee pot, so someone needs to wash the damn thing before I go near it again." Rolling his eyes, Brian walked into the kitchen and came out a few minutes later staring at her in shock.

"You were scared of a daddy long-leg? It's not like they can even bite."

"A spider is a damn spider. And I don't like any of them. Wish they were all extinct, do the world a whole lotta good if ya ask me."

"You're hopeless. You know that right?" The only answer he got from her was her sticking out her tongue before walking upstairs to change and wake Haylee and Suki up. The three of them were planning on dragging everyone out of the house later and going to the beach to relax before races that night. Passing a sleepy looking Jimmy on the stairs, she saw the half hearted glare he was giving and returned it with an apologetic smile, knowing that all her yelling over the spider had woken him up.

Going into Suki's room first, she didn't bother knocking and walked right in heading straight for the curtains. Pulling them back and letting the sun shine in through the window, she flopped down on Suki's bed and started shaking her. Groaning and pushing her off the side of the bed, Suki rolled over and pulled her pillow over her head. Shrugging, keira walked over to the stereo and turned it on, the volume up as loud as it'd go. Growling, Suki sat up and threw her pillow across the room at her before getting up and storming intot he bathroom. Smirking she said to the empty room,

"My work here is done." Next she walked into her own room and sat down gently on her neice's bed. Shaking her shoulder gently she whispered,

"Hayls. Come on sweetie. It's time to get up. We gotta get you ready if we're gonna go to the beach today." As soon as she'd said the word 'beach' the little girl's eyes snapped open. Laughing, Keira shook her head and got up so Haylee could get out of bed.

Not long after Keira had started to french braid Haylee's hair Suki came bursting through the door. Raising an eyebrow Keira looked up from what she was doing and waited for her friend to say something.

"You deserve an Oscar." Suki said simply, looking at her in complete seriousness although she was still wearing a smile.

"Huh?" Keira asked, the expression on her face showing nothing but total confusion.

"I'm talking bout your little performance at the races. I ain't laughed that hard in a long ass time."

"Their just showing you that? It's been over a week, I woulda thought you all woulda burnt a disc out by now."

"I'm surprised Rome hasn't yet. That boy is down there replaying that shit over and over."

"Somehow, it doesn't surprise me." Keira said, shaking her head and going back to braiding her niece's hair. A few minutes later she was finished and getting dressed herself. Walking downstairs with the other two dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a white 'Playboy' tank top, she plopped down on the couch between Rome and Tej. Seeing the innocent look she was wearing both men groaned and asked,

"What do you want?"

"I'm offended. Can't I come and sit here with the two of you without having a hidden agenda?" She asked, pretending to be shocked at what they'd said. Looking at each other again, and then back to her it didn't take long for her to get an answer.

"No."

"Now what do you want?" Tej asked.

"Just thought I'd let you know I'm dragging everyone's ass to the beach later. And by later I mean in the next two hours." She replied laughing.

"Girl, I was born ready." Rome said, sticking his chest out a little further than normal.

"Original Ro'. Real original." Getting off the couch she went to inform the rest of the house.

Once the time she'd given had been reached she waited for everyone to get in their cars, Tej, Haylee, and herself opting to ride in Tej's Ford 4x4 F250 Lariat, in back of which was sitting all their beach gear. Driving the short distance it was from the house to the beach, it didn't take long for everyone to be piling out of their vehicles again, looking for a good spot on the beach. As soon as they'd gotten everything set up, Haylee was dragging Suki and Keira both by the hand towards one of the many concession stands wanting a snowcone. Rolling their eyes, the two went along, Rome yelling for them to bring him something back.

Tossing a pint of Ben and Jerry's at him as Haylee sucked on her snowcone Keira plopped down in the sand leaning against Brian and muttered so only he'd hear her,

"Kids." Laughing, he nodded his head and eyed Rome before answering,

"Tell me about it. But at least Haylee will grow up. No hope for our boy here." It didn't take long for Brian to have something hit him in the back of the head. Laughing Keira grabbed the football, the object that had hit Brian, and started tossing it up in the air.

"Damn, the way she's tossing that thing you'd think she knew how to play football." Rome commented loud enough for her to hear, hoping to get her riled up.Smirking sarcastically she turned quickly and threw at his stomach. Barely keeping it from knocking the wind out of him he looked at her and said,

"Oh it's on now."

"Not if ya can't catch me!" She said jumping up and taking off down the beach, Rome not far behind. It didn't take him long to tackle her to the ground and start tickling her unmercifully. gasping for air as she laughed, Keira soon had managed to squirm out of his grasp in the sand and, stumbling at first, was running towards Brian, Tej, and Suki were all sitting, laughing at the two. Not bothering to sit down next to Brian like she had been she took a bottle of ice cold water from the cooler and twisted the top off.

As soon as Rome was in range she started flinging the water at him, not bothering to pay attention to who else it was hitting and leaving Roman wearing a shocked expression. When she'd run out of water in the bottle she looked down at it before throwing it at Suki and looking up. It was then that she noticed that both Brian and Tej had joined Rome, all three giving her a look that she knew meant they weren't happy with her. Grinning nervously, she looked from one to the other before shrugging a little and saying,

"Oops?" None of them waited to lift her off the ground and start carrying her towards the water. Wide eyed, she was soon struggling against them, though it was pointless since the three of them easily over powered her. Still struggling, she screamed as they tossed her in the warm, salty water. Surfacing, she looked up to see the three of them standing there laughnig. Growling she walked to where they were and without hesitation pushed Brian, knocking him off balance and causing him to fall in the water. Watching as he got up, Keira sent him a satisfied smirk as soon as she knew he was looking at her, then walked back to where Suki and Jimmy were sitting, laughing at them all.

The rest of the day was spent like this, no one ever noticing the the cCadillac parked behind them, or the two men in khakis and button down shirts watching them from inside it.

xoxox

Going back to the house, Keira got ready for a night at the races, wearing a tiny white tank that said 'Racer Girl' in bold red lettering across the chest and a frayed jean skirt with a pair of wedge sandals. Pulling her hair up in a messy ponytail she walked down the stairs and into the living room where Suki was sitting with Haylee. Plopping down next to the two on the couch she took one look at was on the television screen and was back up muttering as she left the room,

"Stupid cartoon sponge."

Not too long afterwards, the group left for the races, agreeing to meet Dom there. The next few hours were spent with Brian and Dom racing, and winning, while Keira, Rome and Tej all goofed off with each other then headed to the after race party. Taking a Corona that Brian handed to her, she sat down for a game of poker with tej and a few other guys while taking a sip from it. Not long after, she drew the wad of cash sitting in front of her towards her and grinned saying,

"It was a pleasure. I'll enjoy spending the money I won off yo' asses."

"Yeah, yeah. All I know is you best buy me somethin' good with that money." Tej said pointing at her with a smirk. Pushing him lightly she shook her head and got up from the table sitting next to Dom.

"You cleaned them all out. You know this right?"

"Serves the damn fools right for thinkin' that 'cause I'm a girl I don't know a damn thing about cards. Tej is the only one that gave me any credit." She said, folding the wad of cash and sticking it in the inside pocket of the jacket she'd brought with her.

"You got a point there." He said while nodding his head. She was about to say something when her phone rang. Grabbing it she looked at the caller ID and saw the name 'Suki' across the top. Frowning she answered it,

"Hello?... What's going on?... WHAT?... Oh my god... Where are you?... Alright... See you there in a few." As she hit the 'End' button, Dom watched all the color drain from her face. Looking worried as she sat there numbly he put an arm around her and felt how cold and clammy her skin had become.

"Keira, you okay?" He asked, now kneeling in front of her and cupping his hands on the sides of her face to make sure she was looking at him. Shaking her head, her hands now shaking violently, she looked at him, a scared look in her eyes, and said,

"We gotta find Brian and Rome. We gotta get to the garage now." Tej and Jimmy, seeing that something was wrong were soon standing there too. Looking from her to Dom Tej asked,

"Keira, baby girl, what's going on?"

"Call Brian and Rome. Tell them to meet us at the garage. Something's up." Dom said, knowing they weren't likely to get an answer from Keira anytime soon as she'd gone back to having that numb look on her face. Nodding, Tej pulled out his cell phone and made the call while Dome helped Keira to her feet and to his car.

Driving to the garage as fast as he could, it was almost ten minutes later when they pulled into the parking lot to find Suki's car sitting there already. Pushing the door open as soon as the car had squealed to a stop, Keira ran inside the building where Suki was sitting in the desk chair with Haylee who looked terrified. Waiting for her to enter the security code, Keira yanked the door open and asked while grabbing her niece and holding her tight,

"What happened?"

"I dunno, honestly." Suki said, taking a deep breath as Dom stood behind Keira.Seeing headlights pulling intot he parking lot, they all visibly relaxed realizing it was just Brian and Rome's cars. Waiting for them to come in, she started up again. "We were sitting in the dark, Hayls was asleep already and I was watching a moving. Next thing I know, I hear something outside and a few seconds later someone's trying to pick the lock on the front door. I threw the dead bolt, grabbed Haylee and jumped in my car. I called you right after that."

Sinking to the floor, still hanging on to Haylee, Keira leaned against the counter and shook her head. She couldn't believe what was happening. Burying her head into Haylee's hair, she took a deep breath and didn't let anyone see the single tear that rolled down her left cheek.

**A/N: Hey guys! So... another cliffie... -tries not to notice glares- don't pretend that you don't love them! Well like i've told others... love to hate them at least. -Grins- Anyways tho... thanx to all my wonderful reviewers... I'm so glad you all missed this fic! I was so worried that when i came back no one was gonna be reading again. Glad to know you guys have stuck around. Oh and i started a new fic 'Changing My Ways'... its aWWE so if you would... plz check it out! I swear even if you don't watch wrestling its not hard to follow and i've been told its pretty good so far... and i only have one chapter posted. And check out my twin's new one too if ya haven't already! It's called 'Heartbreaker'. It's a WWE one too... but again... even if you don't watch you'll still get it. That's bout it for now... Laters! -Jess**


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